


Don't Let Go and Don't Look Back

by Jelly_Bean_Machine



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fall of Radiant Garden (Kingdom Hearts), Hollow Bastion | Radiant Garden, Light Angst, Missing Scene, Not Canon Compliant - Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:47:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23240455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jelly_Bean_Machine/pseuds/Jelly_Bean_Machine
Summary: What if Ienzo never became Zexion? What if he escaped when Radiant Garden fell to darkness?Previously titled "Ienzo Deserved Better" because oh my God, who puts a literal child through all that?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	Don't Let Go and Don't Look Back

**Author's Note:**

> I see y'alls AUs of if Isa or Lea didn't become nobodies. So I'm doing that with Ienzo (plus a variation of how Kairi ended up on Destiny Islands)!

Xehanort proceeded with his experiments without their master’s permission. Then, Ansem the Wise disappeared without a trace. Now, earthquakes frequently shook the castle, and Ienzo’s heart filled with more dread with each passing hour.

He could sense darkness in other people’s hearts for as long as he could remember, but never had its presence been so strong. Ever since Xehanort was brought in, Ienzo knew something was off about him, especially when he was left alone with Braig, and things only got worse. Part of him hoped he was wrong or things would turn out okay in the end. But the alarms nagging at the back of his head became stronger over the following year as their research dived deeper, and more townsfolk came to the lab and never left.

Ienzo wasn’t allowed to see the more intense experiments, but he was smart enough to know Xehanort was going too far and disobeying their teacher. But after Ansem the Wise vanished and Xehanort took his name, what could Ienzo do? Where would he turn to? Those questions wouldn’t matter anymore when Even suddenly woke him up in the middle of the night.

“Ienzo, wake up,” Even urgently called in a hushed whisper. “Wake up!”

Ienzo stirred from a deep slumber, and the impending dread of darkness was back again when he registered Even’s panic. He never heard him like this.

“There’s no time to dawdle. Get dressed!” Even’s voice never raised above hushed commands. He stood watch outside of Ienzo’s bedroom as Ienzo got dressed quickly.

Once he blinked out the sleepy fog, he finally saw a little redheaded girl in Even’s arms. Her face was buried in his shoulder, but Ienzo recognized her as one of the locals from her white and purple dress. He remembered an elderly woman calling her Kairi when it was time for her to go home. She always wandered around the castle gardens to pick flowers. What was she doing here? Did Xehanort also take her for his research?

Even grabbed Ienzo’s hand after he finished dressing. He hastily pulled Ienzo down the hallways and kept a careful arm around Kairi as she began shaking. Ienzo gripped Even’s hand as another earthquake shook the castle and almost threw them off their balance. Lights flickered and the ceiling crumbled, yet Even kept his quick pace to lead Ienzo to the castle entrance.

“Can you stand up?” Even asked the little girl as he carefully set her down.

Kairi nodded as she shakily steadied herself on her feet and rubbed tears from her eyes.

“This is Ienzo,” Even continued. “He will watch over you and make sure you get out of here safely. I promise you can trust him.”

Kairi clung to Ienzo’s sleeve and nodded again. Ienzo looked over her small, trembling form and the fear in her blue eyes. And despite her fear, he didn’t find a trace of darkness in her. What did they want with her? What did they do to her?

“Ienzo, listen to me.” Even brought Ienzo’s attention back to him. “There’s not enough time. Xehanort is preparing something drastic, and it may rip our whole world apart. I’m sure you noticed this girl is without any darkness. Whatever happens, keep running, do not look back, and do not let her out of your sight.”

Even suddenly pulled Ienzo into a tight hug, and Ienzo froze up. He almost never received any kind of physical affection from Even– Ansem the Wise gave out hugs and treated him to ice cream more frequently. Yet Even was so warm with equal parts comfort and suffocation, as though it was their first and final hug and he was making up for all the times he never held Ienzo.

“I’m sorry, Ienzo. I should’ve done this much sooner. I’m so sorry.”

Ienzo hugged back tightly and buried his face into Even’s shoulder, doing his best to hold back tears. His fingers trembled as they gripped his lab coat.

“I don’t want to leave,” Ienzo mumbled. “I want to stay with you.”

“I’m so sorry.” Even gently pet Ienzo’s hair. “I can’t let Xehanort take you too. We’ll all be together again soon, and everything will be set right. I promise. But you must keep each other safe.”

From deep within the castle, Ienzo could hear battle cries and metal clanging.  _ Dilan… Aeleus… _ He needed to say goodbye to them too. He just wanted to see them once more to know they would be okay. But Even held him back and pushed him towards the exit.

“I know. I’m sorry, Ienzo, but there’s no time.” Even’s eyes were mixed with anxiety, sorrow, and the slightest tinge of hope. “I’ll give your best to Dilan and Aeleus. We won’t be apart for long. Now go!”

With another tremor of the earth and a clap of thunder overhead, Ienzo took Kairi’s hand and dashed out the castle. The rushing wind burned as tears streamed down Ienzo’s face. He only dared to look back once as a menacing storm cloud cackled over the castle, consuming the morning light. The darkness was so overwhelming that Ienzo thought he would collapse right then. But the extra set of pitter-pattering feet pulled him back to reality as he led Kairi down a flight of stairs. He stopped once he reached to the bottom to let her catch her breath.

“Where are we going?” Kairi gasped through tears.

“I don’t know,” Ienzo said, “but far away from here.”

“I’m scared.” She squeezed his hand tightly. “I want my grandma.”

Ienzo tensed as shadows swarmed near their feet, and creatures with shiny yellow eyes rose up from the ground. He saw them once or twice in Xehanort’s experiments, but they were always contained in glass. Ienzo wrapped an arm around Kairi’s shoulders and began running again as the creatures leaped out at them. Kairi barely kept up from exhaustion, but Ienzo never let go of her.

They ran through the town square, and villagers watched the storm in terror as it spread over the sky. The dark creatures leapt from the alleyways onto the distracted villagers, and once the agonizing screams began, they didn’t stop. Ienzo made sure Kairi didn’t watch as hearts rose out of people’s bodies to be consumed by darkness. He found an abandoned stall in the marketplace and pulled Kairi under the counter as the chaos raged on. Once they crouched down, Kairi gripped Ienzo’s coat and pressed her face into his shoulder, her eyes shut tightly with tears leaking through.

Ienzo wrapped his arms around her, but he couldn’t stop shaking himself. How could this happen? How far could they run until the monsters found them?  _ Where  _ could they run? He heard rumors of travelers from other worlds visiting Radiant Garden. Maybe one of them could help… if the darkness didn’t take them first.

Suddenly, the stall creaked and cracked with sharp, black claws digging through the wood. Ienzo pulled Kairi further into a corner as the shadows emerged from the ground. Their bodies twitched as they stared Ienzo head on, circling in to take the two children next. Ienzo tightened his hold around Kairi, ready to shield her with his whole body.

Then, a bright light shined from Kairi’s necklace. The pearl pendant cut through the darkness, blinding the monsters with such overwhelming light. And the last thing Ienzo remembered was everything turning white.

~

When Ienzo opened his eyes, he saw stars and nebulae. Yet he couldn’t focus on the colors as the sleepy haze tried pulling him back in. Perhaps this was all just a dream, and he’d wake up safe and sound in his own bed. Then, Ienzo remembered Kairi was still in his arms. He looked down to see her fast asleep and still holding his coat tightly.

He didn’t know how, but her light saved them. No monsters or storms were after them anymore and…  _ home _ …  _ Even _ .

What did Xehanort do to their home? And why? What could he possibly want with a little girl like Kairi? She didn’t deserve to be involved in whatever his plans were. Ienzo knew no good would’ve come from those experiments.

Ienzo pulled Kairi in closer in a protective hug. Whatever would happen next, he made a promise to Even. He’d keep her safe, and they’d be home soon. As he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep, Ienzo whispered a silent prayer for Dilan, Even and Aeleus.

_ Wherever you are, please be safe too... _

~

The next time Ienzo woke up, he felt a roughness against his cheek and the scent of salt tickled his nose. He slowly opened his eyes, his vision adjusting to overwhelming daylight. He still had one arm around Kairi as she finally stirred from sleep. Ienzo took a moment to think of the sound in the background…  _ What was it again? _

Oh, waves, like at a beach. And of course, the roughness he felt was sand.

Just as Ienzo was about to sit up, a small figure with spiky hair approached them and his shadow leaned over them.

“Who are you? Where did you come from?”

**Author's Note:**

> So I kinda have massive writer's block where to go from here or if I wanna make this a long project, but y'all are always free to reach me on my Twitter (@JellyLizzy) or Tumblr (Jelly-Bean-Machine) if you wanna toss ideas. And feel free to take your own spins on this!


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